Environmental hazards around the house
Friday, October 17, 2008
We like to think of our homes as havens, but how safe are they?
The expression, "A man's home is his castle" might need updating to "carcinogenic castle" if we stop to consider indoor air pollution.
Everything from the furniture we buy, to the fragranced products we use, to the dry-cleaned clothes, to the soil our homes are built upon may contain toxic and cancer-causing pollutants.
If you find yourself coughing from the fumes produced by your mold and mildew cleaner, it's no surprise. Household cleaners contain so many toxic ingredients you'd think you were waging chemical warfare instead of wiping down the shower.
Even the appliances we use can pose a danger to our health. Dryers, water heaters and stoves all emit combustible gases.
In fact, the air we breathe inside our homes is so problematic the Environmental Protection Agency ranks indoor air pollution fourth in cancer risk among the top 13 environmental problems analyzed.
Here are some examples of the potential risks we have at home and some alternatives to help keep your haven safe.
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When you clean your bathroom, toss a dryer sheet in the dryer or use an air freshener, you're exposing yourself to other volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.
Read full text: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/17/BAR71301PC.DTL&type=printable
